Award-winning television producer and author Andrew Och — known as “The First Ladies Man” for his panoramic knowledge of America’s First Ladies — brings his captivating storytelling to the history-infused lawn of the Truman Little White House, 111 Front St, Key West, FL on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Doors open at 5:00 pm, with the presentation beginning at 5:30 pm.


Och produced C-SPAN's acclaimed series “First Ladies: Influence and Image” and is author of the two-volume series, “Unusual for Their Time – On the Road with America’s First Ladies.” One of the world's foremost authorities on America's First Ladies, Och is a passionate researcher who has traveled tens of thousands of miles to explore homes, schools, cemeteries — any locale he can identify that relates to the public and private lives of this unique sorority of American women.


Och’s presentation will be followed by a book signing, with books available on site for purchase.
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General admission seating is free. Guests are invited to enjoy complimentary popcorn and lite bites along with a donation-based bar. Attendees who bring a canned food donation for the Bahama Village Little Pantry will be entered in a drawing for a ride around Old Town Key West in the Harry S. Truman Foundation's vintage presidential limousine. For more information about the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation and its programs visit trumanlittlewhitehouse.org.

KEY WEST, Fla. — On Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation, in partnership with the Society of Presidential Descendants, will welcome five distinguished presidential descendants who will engage in a panel discussion entitled “The Legacy of President Carter,” moderated by presidential historian Dr. Kurt Graham, and staged on the grounds of the Harry S. Truman Little White House, 111 Front Street, Key West, Fla.

Recognized as one of the most distinctive civic and historical Presidents’ Weekend gatherings in the nation, this year’s Presidential Descendants Forum welcomes three Carter descendants: Amy Carter, daughter of 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and grandsons James Earl Carter IV and Josh Carter, alongside Susan Ford Bales, daughter of 38th U.S. President Gerald R. Ford, and Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman.
Opening the event, presidential descendants will present cash prizes and certificates of achievement to the three winners of the 2026 Monroe County Student Essay Competition, whose works, reflecting this year’s topic, were judged by members of the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation and the Society of Presidential Descendants.

“The Presidential Descendants Forum presents audiences with a personal window into presidential history — not just through policy, but through family memory and lived experience,” said Clinton Curry, Executive Director of the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation. “With the nation approaching its 250th anniversary, this year’s program also offers a timely opportunity to reflect on aspects of leadership, character, and service across generations.”

While the Forum centers on the Carter legacy, it also honors the broader continuum of presidential history represented by the panel. Susan Ford Bales brings the perspective of growing up in the White House in the period following Watergate, as well as her mother Betty Ford’s groundbreaking advocacy for women’s health and recovery. Clifton Truman Daniel offers reflections shaped by his grandfather’s leadership, as well as his own work promoting historical understanding, peace, and nuclear disarmament. 

Held at the site where President Truman spent 11 working vacations between 1945 and 1953, the Presidential Descendants Forum is the largest annual Presidents’ Day gathering of presidential descendants in the country. 

Forum tickets are $40 for Foundation members and $60 for non-members. Doors open at 4:00 p.m., with a cash bar; the Forum begins at 4:30 p.m. Additional Presidents’ Weekend events run February 12–16 and include “Happy Hour at Harry’s,” performances of “Give ’Em Hell, Harry!”, and a traditional Presidents Day cookout.
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Event proceeds benefit the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation whose mission is to preserve the Harry S. Truman Little White House, Florida’s only presidential museum, and to provide programming that supports civic engagement, education, and the historic and cultural influences of the Truman era.
For tickets and information, visit www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.org/foundation/events

The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation, in proud partnership with The Society of Presidential Descendants, is honored to host a distinguished gathering of U.S. presidential descendants for the 2026 Presidential Descendants Forum, taking place Saturday Feb. 14, on the grounds of the Harry S. Truman Little White House, 111 Front Street, Key West, Florida.

This year’s Forum, titled “The Legacy of President Carter,” welcomes the public to a thoughtful and personal exploration of the enduring contributions and humanitarian impact of America’s 39th president. Sharing their insights and memories will be Amy Carter, daughter of President Carter; James Earl Carter IV and Joshua Carter, both grandsons of President Carter; Susan Ford Bales, daughter of 38th U.S. President Gerald Ford; and Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman.

Dr. Kurt Graham, president of the Adams Presidential Center in Quincy, Mass., and former director of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Mo, will moderate.

Doors open at 4:00 p.m., with the forum beginning at 4:30 p.m.

The Presidential Descendants Forum is the largest gathering of presidential descendants on Presidents’ Day Weekend in the United States and is one of multiple events scheduled over Presidents’ Day Weekend at the Harry S. Truman Little White House. For tickets and information, visit www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.org/foundation/events/.

The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation, in partnership with America250, presents “Remembering the Boss: Bess Truman" on Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Harry S. Truman Little White House, 111 Front Street, Key West, FL. This intimate conversation will feature Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of First Lady Bess Truman and President Harry S. Truman, alongside Anita B. McBride, former Chief of Staff for First Lady Laura Bush and author/co-author of three books about American First Ladies.

Clifton Truman Daniel, a founding member and Vice President of the Society of Presidential Descendants, will share personal memories and insights about his grandmother Bess Truman, one of America’s most private and influential First Ladies.

Anita B. McBride, who currently serves as Senior Fellow and Executive in Residence at American University’s Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, brings unique insight to the conversation from her experience managing First Lady Laura Bush’s staff, initiatives, and public engagement.

Dr. Kurt Graham, President of the Adams Presidential Center and former Director of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri, will guide the discussion.
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Gates open at 4:30pm; program at 5:00pm. Tickets and registration are available at https://www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.org/foundation/events. 

The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation, in partnership with America250, welcomes the authors of “Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women” on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, beginning at 4:00pm on the grounds of the Harry S. Truman Little White House, 111 Front Street, Key West, FL.

Co-authors Diana B. Carlin, Anita B. McBride, and Nancy Kegan Smith will take the stage at 5:00pm for a moderated panel discussion exploring the influential roles of America’s First Ladies throughout history. Dr. Kurt Graham, President of the Adams Presidential Center and former Director of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri, is to moderate.

A book signing with the authors will take place during the hour leading up to the panel event.

This special evening is part of a two-day celebration of presidential history and civic engagement, continuing on Saturday, Jan. 24, with “Remembering the Boss: Bess Truman,” featuring Bess and Harry S. Truman’s grandson, Clifton Truman Daniel, and Anita B. McBride, former Chief of Staff for First Lady Laura Bush and author/co-author of three books about American First Ladies.
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Tickets and registration are available at https://www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.org/foundation/events. 

​On Saturday, April 12, The Harry S. Truman Foundation invites locals and visitors to step back in time with pop songs from Truman’s era performed by the award-winning Key West Jazz Society’s wartime era tribute band, The Heart Starters. Held on the elegant grounds of the Key West Harry S. Truman Little White House, 111 Front St., Key West, doors open at 5:00pm for cocktails and mingling, with the Heart Starters taking the stage at 6:00pm.
 
Through the musical story-telling magic of the Heart Starters tribute band, guests will find themselves transported to key moments from Harry S. Truman’s presidency, on the very grounds where America’s 33rd President spent 11 working vacations during his 1945-1953 administration.
 
Performer and musical director Channing Lynn Griggs, who revived—and is the driving force today—behind the Key West Jazz Society, named the 2025 Key West Music Awards Jazz Act of the Year, explained that the Heart Starters are a KWJS project developed specifically as a tribute to the Truman era and Harry S. Truman’s presidency. This event, she said, will focus on portraying vignettes from Truman’s life through story, song, and letters from Harry to his beloved wife, Bess.
 
“We’ll be performing music by stars of the era that truly bring history alive,” said Channing. “Hit tunes from the specific day or week that Harry saved the railroads from a strike, or into the living room of the Little White House while he writes a letter to Bess, or onto the U.S.S. Augusta with him while on his sea voyage to the Postsdam Conference in Berlin.”
 
During his Key West sojourns, Harry Truman could often be spotted in his preferred island “uniform” of brightly patterned sports shirts. In that spirit, retro summer tropical is the suggested attire for the evening.
 
“A Swinging Night with the Heart Starters” is the first of three installments in this year’s “TRU-ly Amazing Art” series, an ongoing program that encompass performing, visual, and literary arts, with an emphasis on Truman-era local history.

TRU-ly Amazing Art” events are organized by the not-for-profit Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation, benefit the Harry S. Truman Little White House, and are presented with the support of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.

The mission of the Harry S. Truman Foundation is to preserve Florida’s only presidential museum—the Harry S. Truman Little White House—and to provide programming that supports civic engagement, education, and the historical and cultural influences of the Truman era.
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Seating for “A Swinging Night with the Heart Starters” is at 2-top and 4-top tables. For Foundation members, ticket price is $80 for a 2-top, $120 for a 4-top. For non-members, $100 for a 2-top, $150 for a 4-top. Tickets and membership information is available at www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.org/foundation/events/.